Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512296
JIN KIM Opening New Doors Any company in business for a century inevitably undergoes major transitions, and when Jin Kim arrived at Disney in 1995, the studio was experiencing one of those moments. DreamWorks had just launched its animation studio, siphoning off Disney animators in the process. But loss can lead to gain, and "Disney Studios started hiring new people from all around the world," says Kim. "That opened the door wide open." Born and raised in South Korea, he was working in Toronto and wasn't sure if Disney would hire him, but he thought it was worth a try. Kim started as a 2D animator before another seismic shift took place in the animation industry. The success of Toy Story ushered in an era of CG, so Kim pivoted, learned CG animation, and became a CG animator. "That was brutal," he says. "A lot of old-time animators, veterans, they tried to learn new technology … they couldn't adapt, and they left." Kim, on the other hand, continued to evolve. After spending his first decade at Disney as a Visual Development Artist, he began working on Bolt. Character Designer Joe Moshier asked him to do some additional character designs. Slowly, Kim learned more about the designing process, and while he was working on Tangled, Director Glen Keane offered him a choice between CG animation and character design. Kim chose the latter, designed some of the movie's characters, and embarked on a completely new path. Kim went on to create some of Disney's most popular modern characters for movies like Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph, Zootopia, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Encanto, and he played a significant role in the look of Elsa in Frozen. But if he had to choose, he considers Tangled the most meaningful project he's worked on. He spent almost four years on it "under the supervision of a great artist. He taught me so much," Kim says. "It was almost intimidating working with Glen, to show him my drawings to get approved. But at the same time, I was so excited … I could learn." As the years passed, Kim observed another change in the studio: a more inclusive environment with the hiring of more women and people of color. And the characters began to reflect the broader world. "Moana is an example. Big Hero 6 is another good example," he says of the movie he worked on as a Supervising Animator in which the main character is half Japanese. If Kim were to offer any advice to his younger self starting out, he says he would have explored more, traveled to different countries, and "watched other people's lives, how they live," he says. "Eventually, I think, those experiences can become your asset to work on movies." Ever adaptable, he's instead broadened his horizons on the job, and his career has been filled with high points both professionally and personally, like when he was in South Korea for the premiere of Big Hero 6, and the audience cheered their own "hometown hero." As for Disney, he calls it a dream come true. "I just wished I could stay here five years, and it became, after five, oh another five would be nice. Ten years became 20 years," he says. "There are not many people [who could] work here 20 years, 30 years … and I'm one of them. I feel lucky." 34 KEYFRAME F E AT U R E "There are not many people [who could] work here 20 years, 30 years … and I'm one of them. I feel lucky."